WINES OF THE WORLD I Week Eight Burgundy & Bordeaux

AC WINE REGIONS OF FRANCE N km Miles CHAMPAGNE ALSACE LOIRE VALLEY BURGUNDY JURA SAVOIE BORDEAUX RHONE PROVENCE LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLON MEDITERRANEAN SEA ATLANTIC OCEAN ©WSET ® 2003 Other AC Regions 46N 48N 50N 48N 46N 44N 42N R. Garonne R. Dordogne R. Tarn R. Charente R. Allier R. Loire R. Rhône R. Loire R. Doubs R. Saône R. Seine R. Marne R. Rhine R. Moselle

FRANCE  OLD World!  Has produced more wine than even Italy, but going through some major changes  World-wide influence  Perfected many viticultural and vinicultural practices  Set up classification and laws that other countries “copied” in their own way  Many different grapes that have traveled to many countries  Location, location, location and the laws – AOC – Appellation d’origine contrôlée; “my name is the region where my grapes were planted”; grape name rarely appears on the label

N Km 0 20 Miles 46N 47N 48N 47N 46N Auxerre Dijon Beaune Chalon-sur-Sâone Mâcon Villefranche- sur-Sâone LYON CHABLIS Côte de Nuits Côte de Beaune CÔTE D’OR CÔTE CHALONNAISE MACONNAIS BEAUJOLAIS BURGUNDYDISTRICTS ©WSET ® 2003 A6 A7 R. Rhône R. Sâone R. Doubs

BURGUNDY  Bourgogne  Varied soils  Cool, Continental climate – frost, hail, summer rain  The Catholic Church documented terroir, perfected techniques and had sophisticated distribution channels  French Revolution led to Napoleonic Code  Today there are multiple AOCs and vineyards with many owners; complicated and confusing

BURGUNDY  Co-ops and negociants and domaines  Demand exceeds supply, so pricy for higher quality  Classifications - Generic, District, Commune, Premier Cru (11%) and Grand Cru (1%)  Food – Dijon! Regional dishes that can be very rich and fatty, but acidity balances it out

BURGUNDY  Grapes – mono-varietal  Red  Pinot noir  Gamay – only in Beaujolais; maceration carbonique (whole berry)  White  Chardonnay

BURGUNDY  Regions – Terroir; Hokey Pokey  Chablis – only white wine and made only from chardonnay, crisp, usually unoaked or no obvious oak; distinctive climate and soil  Côte d’Or – “Coast” or “Slopes of Gold”  Cote de Nuits – top reds  Cote de Beaune – top whites  Beaujolais – different soil and grape, gamay

45´30N 45N 44´30N 45N 45´30N Bordeaux AC N Km 0 10 Miles BOURG BLAYE FRONSAC POMEROL ST. EMILION Libourne C O G N A C MONTRAVEL PECHARMANT ROSETTE Bergerac MONBAZILLAC BERGERAC MEDOC ST. ESTEPHE PAUILLAC ST. JULIEN LISTRAC HAUT-MEDOC MOULIS MARGAUX COTES DE DURAS COTES DU MARMANDAIS BORDEAUX PESSAC- LEOGNAN SAUTERNES CERONS BARSAC GRAVES PREMIERES-COTES- DE-BORDEAUX CADILLAC LOUPIAC STE-CROIX- DU-MONT ENTRE- DEUX- MERS Gironde A T L A N T I C O C E A N R. Dordogne R. Garonne

BORDEAUX  Moderate, maritime climate  Vintage variation  Extremes in pricing  Great values from large producers  Pricy, collectible, age-worthy wines that are in limited supply  Chateau, not Domaine

BORDEAUX  Blends  Red and less white wines  Classifications – Generic, District, Commune, Premier Cru is highest  Dry white Bordeaux is a great aperitif, with fish or seafood and reds are traditionally served with lamb

BORDEAUX White or Blanc  Primarily blends of Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle  Inexpensive to more expensive estate bottlings  Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves  Sauternes – famous late- harvest dessert white made from botrytis-affected sémillon

BORDEAUX Red or Rouge  Primarily blends  Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot are the main five  Left bank – generally more structure, ageability  1855 Classification – five Chateaux are Premier Cru properties, but only four originally  Main red grape is cabernet sauvignon  Most popular are Haut-Medoc communes (St. Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Margaux)

BORDEAUX Red or Rouge  Right Bank – generally softer, earlier maturing  Main red grape is merlot  Most popular are St. Emilion and Pomerol

DECANTING Why decant? 1.To aerate a young wine that may be opened before it has aged to its full potential  Use decanter with wider bottom  May decant a couple of times to really mix air in 2.To separate the clear wine from the sediment in an older wine  Stand bottle up ahead of time (advance time depends on how long it has been on its side and how thick the sediment is)  Use a taller decanter with narrow opening so there is less air contact after the clear wine is poured out  Use light source to look through neck of bottle